DIANA Griffiths is one angry woman. The 34-year-old mother of seven yesterday joined a group of about 60 residents, who hauled old refrigerators, tyres and huge rocks across the Gregory Park main road in St Catherine to protest against rising prices.

Although yesterday’s street protest was called by the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), Griffiths insisted that her participation in the demonstration was not politically motivated.

“He who feels it knows it; and I am feeling it!” she declared. Griffiths, who is unemployed, told the Observer that she decided to join the protest because she was struggling to make ends meet and felt the government could “do better”.

“I have seven children – aged 15, 13, 10, eight, six, three and seven months – and I have to struggle to pay bills, plus send the children to school. I am not working; I hustle. I used to operate a shop, but I was forced to close it because I could not afford to buy the goods,” she explained.

Griffiths said her breaking point came in mid-August after she spent $12,000 on school books for her children, only to discover that two of her purchases were incorrect. Griffiths said that when she tried to exchange the books, she was told that the ones that she required were out of stock. “They told me that I could not get a refund. I can’t find anybody to buy them from me, and the teacher says the children need to have the books. I don’t know what more to do,” she added.

Griffiths’ hard-luck story was repeated by several residents in Portmore and Spanish Town, who vented their anger against the government in the sweltering heat, made all the more blistering by the burning rubble at several of the protest sites.

“This government has to go,” said a 53-year-old woman who gave her name as Sarah. “A plenty nights my children go to bed hungry. We have no jobs and the rent, light, water and phone bills keep going up,” she complained.

“We are tired of this government. We can’t pay rent, water, light and school fees for our children. Right now my light on the verge of being disconnected because I can’t find the money to pay the bill,” said another resident, who did not wish to be named.

Prime Minister P J Patterson’s warning a day earlier that the Jamaican economy could be further crippled as a result of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in the US Gulf states, was lost on most of the protesters. Majority of them also did not want to entertain any discussions about the external factors that were triggering some of the increases.

“This government can do better,” one man hissed.

Meanwhile, Detective Inspector Malcolm told the Observer that “there was only minor blockages in Portmore and Spanish Town. In fact, except for an incident in Brunswick Common, where a young man said he was beaten by police officers, and a few blocked roads, Spanish Town was calm.

Damion “Foodie” Laing, told the Observer that at approximately 10:15 am, as he was riding his bicycle towards the roadblock staged in the community, a policeman ordered him to remove the debris. He said that when he refused he was beaten. He said the police subsequently put a gun to his head and ordered him once again to remove it.

After refusing once more, Laing said he was taken to a police station, charged and given a court date, but was given no explanation about the charge from the officers.

Member of parliament for the area, Olivia “Babsy” Grange, described the incident as minor and said Councillor Norris Grant was addressing it. She also told the Observer that nothing of significance had occurred within her Central St Catherine constituency.

“On the outskirts of the region there were a few blocks, but in Spanish Town proper there were none; and a few businesses are even open. My appeal to the people in the constituency was well received and everything ran comfortably,” said Grange.